Open Your Windows
by natetheking98
Summary: Stiles gets a spontaneous summer job, not realizing how close it will bring him to some, and how far it will push him from others.
1. Chapter 1

"Look, over there. That's him."

Stiles pointed across the street as he said it, his heart fluttering in his chest. He didn't even know his name, or who he was, but...he wanted to. He wanted to know about this guy's life, about his interests and his family and his favorite food and what time he would go to bed and... He was getting ahead of himself.

"Whoah man... He's-"

"Hot, yeah..." Stiles sighed. This guy was way out of his league, and by the looks of it, at least a couple years older than him. Stiles continued to watch as he stopped across the street and looked at his phone; looking around, almost as if he was looking for something. He looked at Stiles, who had already been staring at him, and Stiles quickly averted his eyes.

He absentmindedly took a sip of his coffee and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, why don't you talk to him?"

Stiles scoffed and gave him a dirty look. "Scott, I can't just 'talk to him'. I wouldn't even know what to say! I don't know who he is, what he does, hell I don't even know if he likes guys! If I knew we had, like, a common interest or a reason to talk, or something, then maybe I would!"

"Suit yourself. All I'm saying is that it can't hurt."

Stiles sighed again. "Look, can we just go inside? I wanna see if they've got any new books."

Stiles and Scott had a lot of free time over the summer, and they ended up spending a lot of it at a bookstore that had recently opened up. It was small and though it was new, had an ancient air about it. The book store was technically only half of it; the first floor was a coffee shop that had a few tables and cushioned window ledges. It was actually a pretty genius idea, customers didn't have to buy books to read them so they could check them out and read them for free, as long as they didn't leave the store.

The two would meet their almost every day, get a coffee and talk. When they were together they didn't do much reading, but on days when Scott was busy with other things, Stiles would curl up on one of the ledges and sometimes spend a whole day just reading. He started the summer by finishing all of his schoolwork for the next year, so he planned on spending the remainder of it doing what he wanted.

On that particular day, on their way up the creaky narrow staircase that led to the library, Stiles noticed for the first time a sign that said in messy blue letters, "Help Wanted". He stopped frowned, wondering how he had missed it for multiple weeks. Scott was already on the floor above, and by the sound of it talking to someone that he knew. Stiles shrugged and the idea of getting a job there suddenly popped into his mind. He spent a majority of his time there anyway, why not get paid for it too? He quickly scurried up the stairs, the sounds of conversation growing louder.

Scott was facing towards him, so Stiles couldn't see the girl he was talking to. Her hair looked familiar though, it was long and curly and strawberry blonde, and Stiles didn't know why he was drawing a complete blank. Scott noticed him and gestured towards Stiles. She turned around and ran towards him, tackling him with a hug. Stiles was in shock, realizing that it was Lydia when he inhaled and smelled her familiar perfume. She had gone off to some college program across the country, and Stiles thought she would be there for the whole summer.

"Oh my god Lydia, you're back! Wait... you're back?"

She peeled herself off of him and laughed. "Yes, I'm back! The program...was not exactly what I was hoping for."

"Was it too difficult? Even for you?"

She laughed again, harder this time. "Don't be ridiculous, the problem was it wasn't nearly as advanced as I was hoping it would be!"

He rolled his eyes; that made much more sense. Lydia was definitely the smartest person he knew, sometimes he even wondered why she was still in high school. "So what brings you here?"

"I heard that they needed some help! I don't know why I even bothered with a resume, they basically just gave me the job."

He felt slightly disappointed, and by Lydia's reaction he could tell that it showed. "Wait, Stiles were you looking to get a job here?"

He shook his head. "No, I literally didn't find out they were even looking for help until a couple minutes ago. Scott and I just spend a lot of time here, and I thought it might be cool. I'm totally happy for you though!"

"I'm pretty sure they'd be willing to hire you. You said you spend a lot of time here right? That could be an advantage! If you talk to the woman at the counter over there, you can probably set something up!" She quickly glanced at her watch. "Oh shit, I need to go. I'm meeting Allison for lunch, but I start tomorrow so I'll see you then!"

Stiles heard her go down the stairs, and the opening and closing of the door downstairs. He smiled, not even realizing how much he had missed her, and happy that he was finally over her. He much preferred her as a friend anyway; kissing her seemed wrong and weird when it happened.

He walked over to the counter, passing Scott who was on his tip toes, perusing some of the higher shelves to see if there was anything interesting.

The woman at the reception, who Stiles knew as Mary, said "Welcome to the Open Windows Library, how can I-oh Stiles it's you! How can I help you dear?"

"Well Mary, I saw your 'Help Wanted' sign and I was wondering if that help was still, you know, wanted?"

She smiled. "Well a lovely girl just came in and took the empty position that we were trying to fill... But I'm sure we would be able to fit you in somehow! How would you feel about running the counter?"

"What, you mean take your job? I wouldn't wanna do that!"

"Don't think of it as replacing me dear, it would be more like assisting me!" He smiled and nodded.

"Ok then, when do I start?"

"Actually...Are you free right now?"


	2. Chapter 2

As it turned out, the work wasn't nearly as easy as Stiles had expected. Mary often sent him running around the library to put books back on shelves or help customers find them. The selection wasn't huge as the store was fairly small, and as Stiles worked he came across many books that he had already borrowed and finished.

Eventually Mary called him back over to the reception counter with a new task. "It seems we've run out of _My Furry Boyfriend Volume 1_, it's gone fast this summer. You kids and your damn werewolf stories... Anyway, I think we might have a few extra copies in the cellar downstairs, could you go look for me?"

"Sure thing! What was that title again?"

She sighed. "_My Furry Boyfriend Volume 1_..."

He smirked. "Sounds like you're familiar with the series?"

"No Stiles, I know the title because so many customers have been buying it, please just go!"

He chuckled as he crossed the room towards the stairs, looking into the aisles for Scott as he did. Scott was sitting on the opposite end of the shelves on a small cushioned ledge, absentmindedly flicking through a book about dogs. Stiles called to him from across the room.

"Scott, I'm headed downstairs and might need some help! Mind coming with?" Scott put the book down and hopped up, joining Stiles as he creaked his way back down the stairs. Before they got to the bottom, Stiles remembered that he had no idea where the cellar was. He stopped halfway down the stairs and turned back to Scott.

"Hey I kinda don't know where I'm supposed to be going, could you go ask Mary where the cellar is for me?"

Scott rolled his eyes but ascended the staircase again as Stiles continued to the bottom, where he stopped dead. The guy from outside was leaning against the counter, talking to the female barista that worked the coffee shop in the evenings. He felt his heart catch in his throat and then drop to his stomach, realizing that he was probably flirting with her and how could he ever be so stupid as to get his hopes up and why did he always do this to himself? He heavily stepped down onto the floor and sighed as Scott joined him.

"She says that it's just over... HEY, that's the guy from!-"

Stiles whipped around and put a hand over his mouth, the rest of Scott's sentence muffled. Scott swatted his hand away and frowned.

"What's the problem?"

"Don't attract unnecessary attention!"

"Stiles, relax. I wasn't even talking that loud..."

"Ok, I'm sorry, you're right. Just tell me where the stupid cellar is." He changed the subject quickly, not wanting to have a run in with him. Scott's frown turned into a look of sympathy. "

Don't get too hung up on this. He's just some guy, you don't even know his name! Trust me, in a couple days you'll forget all about-"

Scott continued to talk but Stiles wasn't paying attention. Instead he was looking over Scott's shoulder at the guy, noticing how tightly his shirt fit him and how broad his shoulders were in comparison with his tight waist, and as he continued down he had to stop himself because _whoa_, those jeans showed off his ass really well.

"-and then you'll move on to some other guy and it won't be a big deal anymore! ... Did you listen to anything I just said?"

"Yeah! Uh, forgetting about some other guy, learning his name, something like that?" Stiles was trying to pay attention to both Scott and the guy at the same time, and not doing a very good job.

Scott glared at him and shook his head. "I'm trying to help alright? Least you could do is try to listen!"

Stiles smiled. "I really appreciate your help, but I also really appreciate how good looking this guy is!"

Scott punched him in the shoulder. "C'mon, you're not shallow like that!"

He shrugged. "Considering I have zero knowledge about his personality, looks are the only thing I have to judge him on. And he's getting a 10 from me at the moment." And in that same moment, his conversation with the barista ended with... a handshake? Stiles frowned and Scott turned around, observing what was happening. "Wait a minute, if he really was flirting with her he wouldn't have ended that conversation with a freaking handshake..."

Scott shook his head. "No, look!" He pointed to the counter, where there was yet another 'help wanted' sign. The barista removed it from the counter and placed it underneath, which meant... Stiles' eyes widened at the realization.

"Oh no... Oh no, _oh no no no_-"

"Wait! Stiles, this could be a good thing! You can get to know him now that you're gonna be working with him!"

He took a deep breath. "How the fuck am I supposed to function with that in the same vicinity as me. Oh God what if I do something stupid and he sees, what if I accidentally say something really weird, what if he realizes that I think he's hot and gets totally creeped out?! Ok fuck this, I definitely have to quit this job!"

Scott looked confused. "Stiles, you literally took this job less than an hour ago, I think you need to calm down! Just think about it; he'll be working down here and you'll be upstairs for the most part! Plus the cellar is all the way over there-" he pointed to an old looking door on the opposite end of the room "-so if you have to go down there again for some reason you can avoid him! Stiles, of you're not gonna try to get to know him, that's ok! But you can't let one attractive guy ruin things for you!"

He closed his eyes, sighed, then smiled. "You know I hate it when you're right!"

Scott beamed, proud of his small but inspiring pep talk.

"Alright, well let's go get those books before Mary starts to wonder where we are." They both crossed the room to the door.

"You never told me, which book is it that we're trying to find?"

Stiles stifled a laugh. "_My Furry Boyfriend Volume 1_. Apparently it's some kind of popular werewolf romance novel. Type of thing teen girls get obsessed with. Kind of a coincidence that it had to be werewolves huh?"

Scott playfully flashed his yellow eyes at Stiles, then nudged him down into the dark stairwell.


	3. Chapter 3

It was about a week before Stiles had a run-in with his new, mysterious co-worker. It was a Friday evening, and things at the Open Windows were starting to slow down. Every so often someone would come in a browse for a few minutes, but end up leaving due to lack of interest.

Stiles was exhausted, so he decided to go downstairs to get a coffee. He wasn't worried about seeing him, because he knew a girl named Kira worked in the evenings, so he went downstairs, which was completely empty. He stood at the counter and Kira wasn't there, so he rang the bell. Out of the back room came the very person he wasn't expecting to see.

He felt his stomach flip, his palms began sweating, and his heart started to race. _What the hell is he doing here?_ He came up to the counter and smiled, waiting for a moment, then raising his eyebrow.

"So, did you need something?"

Stiles squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "NO! I mean, uh, yes. Just a coffee please, leave room for sugar and cream."

"Alright, anything else?" Stiles shook his head, turning around and massaging his temples as his coffee was prepared. "Alright, here you go!" Stiles turned around and accepted his coffee as the barista smiled again. His smile was beautiful, and Stiles couldn't help but smile as well.

"How much is it?"

"Don't worry about it, uh..." he pointed at Stiles as though to indicate asking a question, and Stiles realized he was asking for his name.

"Oh sorry, I'm Stiles!"

He chuckled. "That's an interesting name... Well nice to meet you Stiles, I'm Derek! So yeah don't worry about the coffee, it's on me!"

Stiles smiled at him again. "Thanks, are you sure-?"

"I insist, it's just three dollars anyway!"

"Well if you're sure. then thanks again! Hey can I ask where Kira is? She usually works evenings so I was just surprised not to see her."

"We switched times, it was easier for her to work mornings so I took over for later in the day."

"Ok, well it was nice to meet you, I have to head back upstairs now!" Stiles hastily headed towards the stairs but he was stopped by Derek.

"Wait! What about your cream and sugar?"

Stiles whipped around, almost spilling his coffee all over himself. "Right, the cream and sugar, thanks." He walked over to the table next to the counter where the sugar packets and carton of cream sat. He felt Derek's eyes on him the whole time as he added just the right amount of both items to his drink. He looked up and Derek quickly looked away, pretending to be wiping down the counter. "Well I...I guess I'll see you around!"

Derek looked up again, giving him a little wave and going back to cleaning up. Stiles nearly ran up the stairs to tell Scott, who was still there, but in the process ended up spilling some coffee on his pants. He groaned, but was also happy that he would have to go back downstairs to grab napkins. He descended the stairs once more, expecting to see Derek still at the counter, but he wasn't there. He crossed again to the table, keeping quiet as he realized Derek was in the back room on the phone.

"-yes everything is in place, Don't worry, I have it covered! I think I hear someone, I have to go!"

Stiles frowned and grabbed some napkins as Derek came back out, his eyes widening when he saw it was Stiles.

"I forgot to grab napkins, I'm sorry I didn't really hear-"

"Don't worry about it, it was just Kira! She gets concerned about how I'm running things so she calls every so often."

Stiles was skeptical, but his response seemed legitimate so he just attempted to wipe the coffee off of his pants, then groaned as he only made the stain worse. Derek was back to cleaning the counter and Stiles didn't want him to seethe stain, so he quietly ran back upstairs, almost tripping on the last step and losing his balance. He took a second to compose himself, then tried to remember where he set down his coffee.

He thought he had left it right on the counter, but it wasn't there when he looked. He started to look on top of and in between empty spaces of the shelves but couldn't find it anywhere. He frowned and scratched his head, figuring maybe he brought it down with him when he went to get the napkins. He couldn't believe his memory was that bad; he had literally put it down 5 minutes ago.

He crossed the room toward the stairs, then noticed Scott in his usual place on the window ledge, a book in one hand and in the other...

"Scott!" He looked up quickly. "What the hell are you doing with my coffee?" Scott frowned and pointed to it. "Yes, that one dumbass!" Scott put his book down and stood up, walking over to Stiles.

"I thought you went and got this for me!"

Stiles glared at him as Scott took another sip, then noticed that there was something written on the side. "Scott, give me the coffee."

"Aw c'mon, just one more sip!"

"No, give me the coffee!" He grabbed for it but Scott pulled it away, quickly drinking the rest of it. "Was that really necessary?! Plus I don't even care about the coffee, just _give me the freaking cup_!"

Scott looked at him quizzically, then handed him the cup. Stiles grabbed it from his hands and looked at what the writing said:

_**Here's my number, text me when you get a chance! -Derek**_

Stiles went pale and sat down on the floor, staring at the cup in his hand. Was he serious? Was it possible that Derek liked him too?

"Stiles? Are you alright? What's on the cup?! Is it a death threat? Did you get fired via coffee? WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"...It's...it's his number..."

"His number... Whose numb-WAIT, do you mean...the guy?!

Stiles swallowed and nodded, rolling the cup between his palms. "What do I do?

"What do you mean, you have to text him! Stiles he likes you!"

Stiles quickly stood up and shook his head. "He's not serious, he can't be! He's just, I don't know, messing with me or something. Whatever, I don't care..."

Scott frowned. "Stiles, I have a feeling he's not trying to trick you. Ever thought that it was possible that he might actually like you?"

"I mean I've been hoping, but it almost seems too good to be true, you know?"

Scott nodded. "Well, I say you text him and just keep that in mind. If he really is messing with you, then you stop talking to him because he's an asshole. If not..." He smiled and winked at Stiles, who smiled back, then pulled out his phone and added the number to his contacts. He typed out a quick message that said 'hey, it's Stiles' and hit send, hoping for the best. After a few minutes, he got a reply that said 'hi! my shift ends in 10 minutes, would you wanna do something after?'. Stiles replied so fast, he almost broke his phone.


	4. Chapter 4

Stiles felt like a mess waiting for Derek to finish his shift. He kept attempting to fix his hair with his hands absentmindedly and trying to smooth out wrinkles in his shirt with no success. He was fidgety and uncomfortable and his right leg bounced up and down rapidly. His lips were dry which led him to wondering if Derek would try to kiss him which only made him more nervous. His head was down and his eyes closed, phone grasped firmly between his hands.

When his phone finally buzzed he gasped almost fell out of his seat. The few customers in the tiny book store looked over at him quizzically, which he ignored as he repositioned himself on the bench he was sitting on. The text said _ok, I have to clean up a bit but you could come down now I guess!._ Stiles sighed and shook his head, slapping himself in the face to clear his focus. He took a deep breath and headed towards the stairs, desperately hoping to avoid throwing up.

Scott was sitting a couple benches over and saw that Stiles has gotten up, so he followed him over to the top of the stairs. He grabbed his shoulder and Stiles jumped and almost fell.

"Jesus Scott, you gotta stop sneaking up on me like that!"

"Sorry, I just wanted to say have fun and uh... good luck?"

Stiles smirked sarcastically. "Ok thanks mom, I'll be home by 10!" Scott glared at him then gave him a hug, which Stiles found slightly strange. Nevertheless, he accepted it without question because he needed the comfort.

"Seriously though Stiles, I'm happy for you. I hope this guy is everything you hoped he would be." He smiled, almost wistfully, but that didn't register with Stiles, who was already turning to go down the stairs as he yelled "Thanks, I'll see you later!" over his shoulder.

When he got downstairs he saw that most of the chairs had been stacked onto their respective tables, except for 2 or 3 tables nearest to the counter. He could hear Derek moving around in the back room as he checked his watch. It was 6:30, the sun was just starting to start its slow descent and Stiles could feel the warm summer air blowing through an open window.

Derek emerged from the back room and pulled his apron off over his head. Stiles watched as his muscles moved under his shirt, and Stiles licked his lips again. Derek noticed that he was watching him and he smiled, attempting to conceal a little laugh. Stiles smiled too, suddenly feeling less nervous. What was there to worry about? This guy seemed nice enough, and he was the one who asked Stiles out, so he was obviously interested in him.

"Do you need any help with the rest of these chairs?"

Derek shook his head. "We leave those out for the late night customers, someone should be here in a couple of minutes to take over. Things slow down at night so if we start cleaning up before we actually have to close it just makes it easier!" He came out from behind the counter and Stiles shifted awkwardly.

"So we never really figured out what we're doing..." Derek nodded in agreement and frowned, obviously thinking about their options.

"Well, there's an awesome little ice cream place a couple of blocks from here-"

"You mean Izzy's?" Stiles loved the ice cream from Izzy's, it was one of his greatest weaknesses, and in the summers he stopped by there at least once a week, usually more.

"Yeah! I've only been there one or two times but the ice cream is awesome."

Stiles nodded, smiling. "I go there all the time, especially in the summer! Besides here it's one of my favorite places."

"Then it's decided! I could go for some ice cream anyway! As soon as the other guy gets here we can take off."

They had to wait around 15 minutes, and Stiles started to get impatient. Derek apologized but Stiles told him not to worry. It's not like he had anywhere else to be. When Derek's replacement finally showed up after 6:45, Derek grabbed Stiles and got out of the coffee shop quickly, walking down the road a bit before slowing his pace and turning to a bewildered Stiles.

"Uh...something the matter?"

Derek shook his head. "No! Well, kinda. It's not a big deal, I just hate that guy. He's always late and he's pretty creepy. Not the type of person I like to associate with."

"But that seems like just your type!" Stiles smirked but instantly his face changed as he saw Derek's alarmed expression.

"You think I would attract creepy people?"

"Of course n- I mean, that was just a joke! I have to warn you now, more than 90% of my personality is based on sarcasm. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We should get over to the ice cream place, I'm starving."

Stiles nodded but as Derek took off he looked down at the ground in confusion. Had he really not been able to tell he was joking? Would he really think someone he just met would say something like that to him. Stiles couldn't figure out why he reacted the way he did, but then decided that it didn't matter so started thinking about ice cream flavors. After walking for a few minutes Derek broke the silence.

"So, I never asked how old you were."

Stiles grimaced a bit, but not enough to let Derek know there was an issue. He wasn't _really_ worried, but he was aware that their age gap was probably slightly significant. "I'm 17, but I'll be 18 next year."

"So you'll be a senior?"

"Yep! What about you?" He tensed up a little bit, hoping the answer wasn't anything too crazy. From what he could tell he was fairly young, in his mid-twenties at the latest.

"I'll be 21 in a couple of weeks. I don't care much for birthdays though, they've always seemed kinda pointless to me."

"Are you kidding? My birthday is the only day a year where everything is about me and I don't have to feel bad about it. The other 364 days I feel at least _slightly_ guilty about it." He winked and Derek laughed, which was different. Most people found his sense of humor annoying and childish - though he could see what they meant - but Derek's laugh had seemed genuine. He smiled back at him, quietly chastising himself for analyzing him so much. He kept finding himself scanning Derek up and down, just observing the way he moved and the way he talked and the way he was. Stiles was fascinated by him, and he would be from that day on.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time they arrived at the tiny ice cream parlor, the sky was pink and orange and the evening air was cooling off. A breeze brushed across Stiles' bare arms and he shivered a bit, not because it was cold but because he was starting to feel nervous again. He was nervous about what he was going to order, what was Derek going to order, what if Derek tried to pay? Should he let him? He had never gone on a date with another guy before, he wasn't really sure how it worked.

Derek held the door open for him and he was greeted with the tinkle of the bell above the door and a blast of cool, sweet air. Stiles closed his eyes and breathed deeply, memories of his childhood and of summers and of friendship all rushing back to him. He always got so sentimental when he came to Izzy's; maybe it was the fact that he had spent so much time there throughout his life, or maybe it was just because their ice cream was fucking amazing. Most likely it was some combination of the two.

It was a few seconds before he realized he was still standing in the entry way, Derek still outside holding the door. He blushed and stepped inside, Derek chuckling and following him inside. Stiles pressed himself up against the glass that protected the giant cartons of ice cream, his eyes darting back and forth between all of the flavors. He had decided beforehand what he wanted, but now seeing all of the flavors in their glory he was having second thoughts. Derek crouched next to him, also browsing the flavors and occasionally glancing at Stiles-who was completely engrossed by the ice cream-and smiling.

Every so often Stiles would frown and bite the side of his cheek, lost deep in his thoughts. Derek had already made his decision and rose back to his feet, as Stiles finally made his choice as well.

"How can I help you two?"

Stiles beamed at the girl behind the counter, recognizing her from his many visits there. "I'll take a...medium cone with chocolate peanut butter!" Normally he would order a large but this was a date, so he decided to go easy on the ice cream.

"And I'll take a medium bowl of pistachio."

Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Wow, one of the chosen few who actually like pistachio!"

Derek smiled. "It's been my favorite for as long as I can remember."

Stiles had slight regrets. In honesty pistachio was his favorite too, but he thought that Derek would think him weird if he ordered it. It didn't matter, chocolate peanut butter was a close second.

They waited as the girl scooped their ice cream, Stiles' eyes lighting up as she handed him his cone. He reached into his pocket for his wallet but Derek stopped him. Stiles blushed, not wanting to just let Derek pay, but Derek insisted.

"You already paid for my coffee though!"

Derek smiled, nodding. "I'm paying for this too."

Stiles smiled and attacked his ice cream, rotating the cone so the ice cream wouldn't fall off. Derek grabbed his bowl and a spoon and the two headed outside where it was warmer. There was a bench outside of the store and they sat there, not talking for a while. Stiles finished his ice cream before Derek, suddenly self-conscious and worried that there was some on his face. Sure enough as he turned to ask Derek if there was any, Derek started to chuckle.

"What is it?"

"There's just... there's a little bit of ice cream on your nose."

Stiles went completely red and Derek snickered again, and reached over to Stiles' face. He raised an eyebrow as if to say, _may I?_

Stiles bashfully nodded and Derek brushed the liquid ice cream away, wiping it on a napkin he had taken from inside.

"Um, thanks."

Derek smiled. "No problem!" He stood up and threw his bowl, spoon and napkin in the nearby trashcan. "So, should we head back? My car is back at the Open Windows."

Stiles nodded and slipped his hands into his pockets, feeling a rush of energy from the ice cream. They walked back the way they came, Derek walking very close to Stiles. Stiles shivered again; he always tended to feel cold after eating ice cream. Derek noticed and moved a little bit closer, not wanting to make the cliche move of giving Stiles his jacket. Stiles didn't want that either, so he tensed up when Derek moved closer, secretly hoping Derek wouldn't give it to him. He felt slightly awkward walking so close to Derek, not holding hands but fingers brushing every so often, their arms swinging back and forth and meeting between them.

Stiles glanced around every so often, making sure he didn't see anybody that he knew. In truth, Scott was the only person he had ever told about his sexuality. He assumed that some of his other friends might have guessed by that point but he wasn't ready for everyone to know, not at that point anyway. He knew there was nothing wrong with it and he actually knew people who were openly gay in Beacon Hills, but he wasn't ready to take that step yet. He was so excited about the date with Derek that he didn't even remember that nobody knew he liked guys.

Eventually Derek noticed how jumpy Stiles was and stopped walking. "Are you ok?"

Stiles jumped and looked at him, forcing a smile. "I'm fine! Why do you ask?"

"You...you keep looking around. Like we're being followed or something-we're not being followed are we?!" Derek then started to look around, Stiles realizing how dumb he was being.

"No Derek, nobody's following us. I'm just..." He looked down at the sidewalk and started counting the amount of cracks that led off from the big one.

Derek frowned. "Are you embarrassed to be seen with me or something? I don't mean to be an ass but it's not like I'm an ugly guy, so what's the issue?"

Stiles looked up at him, slightly shocked by how demanding Derek had been in asking the questions. Suddenly he felt even more uncomfortable. "I just... I'm not out yet. Nobody knows..."

"What, that you're gay?"

"I'm not gay. I...I like guys, that's for sure, but I don't think I'm gay... Regardless, nobody knows!" He shifted uncomfortably, relaxing as he saw Derek's expression lighten.

"I understand. But you do know that nobody's gonna judge you right? Not when you're around me anyway." He playfully winked at Stiles, who smiled back. They continued to walk down the sidewalk, Stiles suddenly feeling much looser and natural.

"Trust me, I'm not ashamed of it or anything! I just don't think I'm quite ready to come out yet. Soon. Really soon, hopefully!"

"So what then, was I some kind of test to make sure you actually like guys?"

Stiles scoffed. "_You_ were the one who asked _me_ out, remember? Plus I don't need some kind of test, I know for sure. Just as sure as you are that you like guys. Which, I assume, is pretty damn sure?"

Derek smiled and nodded. "I'll be honest then, I've never been with a guy before either, I-"

"Wait what?! _You_ have never been with a guy before?! You know I would assume that guys would be all over you, you're just so..." He stopped himself as he caught Derek's eye.

Derek smirked. "So...what?"

Stiles glared at him. "You're fucking sexy as hell and you know it, don't play dumb. I can tell there's a decent brain behind all of that brawn."

"Decent? Is that it?"

Stiles shrugged. "I guess...I guess we'll have to see won't we? On our, um...next date? Whenever that may be?" He asked with a gleam in his eye and slight desperation in his voice.

Derek chuckled. "Yeah, there will definitely be a next date. If you text me later we can figure out details and stuff."

They had reached the Open Windows and Stiles was about to go inside, when he heard Derek in distress behind him. He was circling his car, crouching down at each tire and groaning. Stiles back away from the door to the coffee shop and over to what he guessed was Derek's car. He could see slash marks on both tires on the curb side, and from Derek's reaction from the other side he could tell that the other two had suffered the same fate.

"Who the fuck would do this?"

Derek huffed and squeezed his eyes shut. "I have no idea, but I have no way home now..."

Stiles' eyes widened. "Um, I could totally drive you! Your house is around here right?"

Derek smiled. "Apartment, actually. It's in a building just a couple minutes from here, and I'm too tired to deal with this shit right now. I guess I'll just leave my car here and call a mechanic in the morning..."

"Ok, well let me just go tell my friend Scott that I'm back, and also that I'm leaving I guess!" He ran inside and up the stairs as Derek pulled out his phone.

"Scott? You still here?" He wound his way through rows of shelves upstairs, then rolled his eyes and stopped looking when he realized he should just look for him in his usual spot. Sure enough, Scott was sitting on his windowsill, a coffee in one hand and a book in the other. His eyes were glazed over and he mechanically took a sip of coffee as Stiles approached him.

"Hello-ooo? Scott, buddy, you still human in there? Oh wait..."

Scott rolled his eyes and continued to read, attempting to ignore Stiles.

"Uh, ok... Well I just wanted to tell you the date went well, but some asshole slashed his tires so I'm gonna drive him home... I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Scott mumbled something indecipherable and Stiles frowned, shrugged, then headed back outside. As he exited the store, he heard the last bit of the conversation Derek was having on the phone.

"...all 4 really necessary?! I'm not paying for this shit, you are! This was your idea in the first-"

He whipped around to see Stiles standing there, a skeptical look on his face. "Shit, I uh, gotta go!" He quickly put his phone away and smiled, his hands hitting his thighs as he let them drop.

"So who was that?"

"It was uh, my sister. Apparently slashing my tires was some sort of fun prank for her or something, she can be like that sometimes..."

Stiles decided to pretend he hadn't heard the conversation and led Derek to his Jeep that was parked down the street. Derek directed him to his apartment building and Stiles was silent for most of the ride, something that didn't come easily to him. He loved listening to Derek's voice, it soothed him and sent chills up and down his spine.

After about 5 minutes, Stiles pulled up to the curb of the building, which was obviously not in the best of conditions.

"Thanks so much for the ride Stiles, I'll talk to you later I guess, have a good night!" He winked at Stiles as he stepped out of the car, and Stiles sighed as his head hit the headrest behind him. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose, wanting to smell all that was left of Derek in his car. After he did so he winced as he thought of how creepy it was, then started his car. He turned on the radio and sang as loudly as he could all the way home, not even realizing that he hadn't seen anyone working the coffee shop on his way our or in,

**1 Hour Prior**

He watched Derek and Stiles walk down the sidewalk, waiting until they had turned a corner to exit the shop. He had reminded Derek to play it up and really make him seem like someone to be avoided so Stiles wouldn't ask too many questions, and hopefully Derek made it work. He jumped as the bells tinkled over his head when he opened the door, then rolled his eyes at his own paranoia. They were gone, he didn't have to worry about Stiles seeing.

He found Derek's car and checked in the side view mirror to see if he looked ok. Not for any reason in particular, he just always liked to look his best. His eyes flashed as he extended his claws and proceeded to slash each of Derek's tires, afterwards getting into his own car and speeding away.


End file.
